While we know that the Houston Rockets are going to offer free agent center Omer Asik a back-loaded three-year deal once free agency begins, the exact figures within the offer won't be determined until the salary cap is set on July 10, as K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune reports.
Johnson also notes that the Bulls could look into possible sign-and-trade scenarios regarding Asik and Houston before that date, which would allow Chicago to recoup some value from the departing center while giving the Rockets a guarantee that Asik would in fact be going to Houston.
On July 11, the Bulls will have the option of matching whatever offer Houston makes to Asik within three days, or Chicago will see their back-up center walk without receiving any compensation. As Johnson notes, the option of sending Asik to Houston is gone if they match the offer sheet, among other limitations:
According to the new collective bargaining agreement, if they match and retain Asik, 'they cannot trade him without his consent for one year and cannot trade him at all to the team that signed him to an offer sheet. They also can't trade the player in a sign-and-trade transaction (to another team).'
Essentially, whatever happens over the next week will likely determine Asik's role in the Bulls' organization for a pretty long time.
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